Glorified Tea Party candidate Cain holds establishment values: pro-war, pro-Federal Reserve, pro-bailout and more
The Fox News-led GOP debate last night in South Carolina gave the first formal glimpse of the emerging 2012 GOP presidential field, though more thought was perhaps spent on the presumptive (selected & vetted by the establishment) big name contenders who have yet to enter or debate. Congressman Ron Paul was perhaps the most well-known face next to a field otherwise unseen in 2008. With him were former Senator Rick Santorum, former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, businessman and former KC Federal Reserve chair Herman Cain and former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson.
After the debate, an artificial-esque buzz quickly centered around Herman Cain, who has positioned himself as a Tea Party candidate and gained popularity for his ‘tough’ rhetoric.
A Fox-focus group fielded by the notorious Frank Luntz quickly established that Herman Cain had won the debate (in lieu of a poll, apparently). Cain charmed a majority of the 29 handpicked and carefully-handled likely Republicans in Luntz’s focus group. After all, he’s a fresh face, he talks about smaller government, ending the economic crisis and he’s a successful businessman.
Frank Luntz Focus Group Names Herman Cain Winner of First GOP Debate
Just as in 2008 with dud-candidate Fred Thompson, Luntz used the perception of a quick turn-around of support to promote the candidate as a possible front runner. Luntz declared the reaction to Cain as “unprecendented” and suggested a spontaneous surge in his viability.
Fox News’ website coverage of the debate features a poll– but on top issues rather than candidates. This effectively obscures the already existing base of substantial support for Ron Paul, which does not exist for the other candidates on the stage. A CNN poll released Thursday (prior to the debate) found Ron Paul did best against President Obama, garnering 10% next to potential candidates like Gingrich, Huckabee, Romney, Trump and Palin.
Fox New’s hoax that Herman Cain won the debate is but an opening salvo in a familiar pattern of downplaying Ron Paul’s bid for the presidency to restore sound money and the Constitution. Perhaps that is why Ron Paul snubbed a post-debate interview with Ron Paul, instead going to a Tea Party event.
However, a sober look at Cain’s statements tonight and his past record show little to be enthused about. He stands diametrically opposed the fundamental positions of pro-liberty candidates like Ron Paul. Cain is pro-war and appears to be pro-Empire, against a Federal Reserve audit, and has been supportive and apologetic about the bailout. Free market is incompatible with crony capitalism and Fed intervention.
5/5/2011 South Carolina GOP Debate – Part 1
Ron Paul and Gary Johnson were distinct in their libertarian-edged stances on an immediate end to wars and the overseas empire, foreign aid, economic solutions, drug decriminalization and other issues, but received no doting from media ‘analysts’. Paul, however, drew heavy applause for most of his answers, including a call to bring the troops home from Afghanistan. Johnson had to speak out just to be fielded a question every now and then.
5/5/2011 South Carolina GOP Debate – Part 2
Paul has already been cheaply attacked over being supposedly pro-Heroin due to his stated position about drug decriminalization.
5/5/2011 South Carolina GOP Debate -Part 3
Cain, Santorum and Pawlenty lined up to regurgitate the typical hawkish position for war, torture, military adventures, and beyond. Big talk about budgets and deficits, but no serious talk about military spending.
Typical social-wedge issues also came up including abortion, stem-cell research and gay marriage.
5/5/2011 South Carolina GOP Debate -Part 4
5/5/2011 South Carolina GOP Debate -Part 5
5/5/2011 South Carolina GOP Debate -Part 6
5/5/2011 South Carolina GOP Debate – Part 7
FLASHBACK: Herman Cain, 2012 hopeful: “There’s No Reason To Audit The Federal Reserve”
You Tube
Herman Cain, former Chairman and Member of the Board of Directors for the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, flippantly denies the need to Audit the Federal Reserve while hosting the Neil Boortz Radio Show on 12/29/10
On Koch Supported Herman Cain
Economic Policy JournalMarch 1, 2011
I’ve noticed that Herman Cain, who is already an announced candidate for president, seems to have a close association with the Koch brothers. He attended the recent Koch conference in Rancho Mirage and he has been a speaker at the Koch-funded rightonline.
I have seen clips of him speak, but never anything of substance. He sure can deliver a speech though (see below). So I was excited to see that he was going to appear on Eliot Spitzer’s CNN show last night. True to form he gave one hell of a performance. Lot’s of talk about cutting government down to size (all generalities though), and he threw out the fact that he was a former exec at Pillsbury and CEO of Godfather’s Pizza for 10 years. But then Spitzer zeroed in. He asked Cain about the war in Iraq. Cain said he supported it because, get this, Saddam was using weapons of mass destruction against his own people. Cain also said that he was in favor of food stamps (Though the program needs to cut out fraud). It also sounds like Cain is in favor of some kind of “fair tax”, whatever that is.
And, oh yeah, he’s a former chairman (1995-96) and deputy chairman (1992-94) of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City.
What the hell are the Koch brothers thinking?
When you compare Ron Paul to Herman Cain, the choice is obvious. Congressman Paul says, let’s start by bringing U.S. troops home from overseas to help reduce the budget deficit and shift priorities to Americans. He is like that on every issue. He is always about details and specifics He doesn’t talk in generalities such as “Well I’m a great manager”, like Cain does. Everybody says that, from Mitt Romney to Rudy Giuliani. Who needs more of that?
Congressman Paul is also more principled. You would never see Congressman Paul, as a libertarian, ever say that the food stamp program is a good program. And it appears he has a different view about the Fed, than does the former Fed insider Cain.
So what are the supposed libertarian Koch brothers up to here? It sure isn’t about backing the most libertarian candidate. That’s clearly Ron Paul. It really strikes me that Cain is likely more controllable than Congressman Paul. You know in advance where Ron Paul is going to stand on issues. He is not about to change anything for a couple of billionaire brothers playing Kochopoly with the world.
If I’m a billionaire playing Kochopoly, I like this guy. He seems to have that ability to fine tune his thinking to the greater good of the billionaire game. I’m thinking, we may have another Paul Volcker or Colin Powell type. Volcker and Powell, I’m convinced, if called upon by their controls, could justify doing pretty much anything.
Read More Here: http://www.economicpolicyjournal.com/2011/03/on-koch-supported-herman-cain.html
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